Andy Kaufman Net Worth is
$3 Million
Andy Kaufman Biography
Andy Kaufman net well worth: Andy Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor, and performance artist who had a net well worth of $3 million. A few of his popular heroes included Foreign Guy, Latka, and Tony Clifton. After graduating from Grahm Junior University Kaufman started carrying out stand-up comedy at little clubs on the East Coastline. Andy Kaufman was created in NEW YORK, NY in January 1949 and passed on in-may 1984. Kaufman also made an appearance in episodes of Saturday Night time Live from 1975 to 1982 as Foreign Guy, British Guy, and Elvis. As an actor he was most widely known for starring as Latka Gravas in the tv screen series Taxi from 1978 to 1983. He also starred in the movies God EXPLAINED To, In God We Tru$t, and Heartbeeps. For Taxi he was nominated for Golden World Awards for Best Assisting Actor in a string, Mini-Series or FILM Made for Television and for Best Television Actor in a Assisting Part. Kaufman was also nominated for Television Property Awards for Taxi and Saturday Night time Live. He was also involved with professional wrestling and was involved with a popular incident with Jerry “The King” Lawler on NIGHT TIME with David Letterman. Andy Kaufman passed on on, may 16, 1984 at 35 years older from kidney failing. His books The Huey Williams Tale, God. In September 2014 his friend and composing partner Bob Zmuda claimed that he thought Andy faked his loss of life and you will be emerging to reveal his very best prank soon. Through the years there were many rumors that Kaufman faked his personal death…and Other Takes on, and Poetry and Tales were published posthumously.
Known for movies
Taxi (1978-1983)
as Latka Gravas / Vic Ferrari / Alex Reiger / Arlo / Jeffrey
Heartbeeps (1981)
as Val
My Breakfast with Blassie (1983)
as Andy Kaufman
I'm from Hollywood (1989)
as Writer
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Andy Kaufman |
| Net Worth | $3 Million |
| Date Of Birth | January 17, 1949 |
| Died | May 16, 1984, West Hollywood, California, United States |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Profession | Screenwriter, Comedian, Actor, Music artist, Professional Wrestler |
| Education | Grahm Junior College, John L. Miller Great Neck North High School |
| Nationality | American |
| Children | Maria Colonna |
| Parents | Stanley Kaufman, Janice Bernstein |
| Siblings | Michael Kaufman |
| Nominations | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television, TV Land Most Wonderful Wedding Award, TV Land Favorite Elvis Impersonation Award |
| Movies | Heartbeeps, In God We Tru$t, God Told Me To, The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show, Stick Around, The Real Andy Kaufman, Andy Kaufman: The Midnight Special, Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s, Andy Kaufman: The Andy Kaufman Show: Soundstage |
| TV Shows | Taxi, Saturday Night Live, Van Dyke and Company |
Interesting Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Andy's Army, a group of friends and family of Andy Kaufman, helped induct him into the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame by using #AK4WWEHOF2014 in various forums, pod-casts, blogs and tweets to WWE. It was a surprise for everyone when a Tony Clifton Flashmob suddenly showed up and wrestled Jerry Lawler, Royal Rumble-style. |
| 2 | Laid to rest at Beth David Cemetery (Elmont, Long Island, NY). |
| 3 | In 1980, Andy wrestled stunt woman Marian Green in a playful mud wrestling bout at Chippendales in Los Angeles. |
| 4 | Wrestled Playboy playmate Susan Smith in a match for the intergender championship of the world" belt. Although Smith clearly bested Kaufman in this fierce bout, he was nonetheless declared the winner. There was a pictorial of this match in the February 1982 issue of "Playboy". |
| 5 | Son of Stanley Kaufman. |
| 6 | Often read from the the book "The Great Gatsby" at performances. But, unlike the movie, never made it further than the second page of the first chapter. |
| 7 | Despite their publicized, but fake, feud, Kaufman was actually a great admirer of Jerry Lawler. |
| 8 | To play up the feud between himself and wrestler Jerry Lawler, Kaufman did several public service announcements in which he proceeded to teach Southern people how to bathe, brush their teeth, and so on. |
| 9 | Scored a zero on the psychological portion of his Army entrance test, thereby classifying him as ineligible for military service. |
| 10 | He once skipped a photo shoot for TV Guide with the Taxi (1978) cast to see a The Three Stooges midnight showing with good friend Eva-Marie Fredric. |
| 11 | Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 441-442. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. |
| 12 | During the height of his Taxi (1978) fame, he worked part-time at "The world famous Jerry's Deli" on Ventura Blvd. in Los Angeles as a busboy just to stay grounded. |
| 13 | Was the world's very first inter-gender wrestling champ. Had a perfect undefeated track record and took home the belt. |
| 14 | He once joked about faking his own death and returning 20 years later. In 2004 several of his friends threw a "Welcome back Andy" party. He didn't show up. |
| 15 | One of his most famous performances was on the 1975 summer replacement show Van Dyke and Company (1976), hosted by Dick Van Dyke. As his "Foreign Man", he did two very poor celebrity impressions, and then broke into a dead solid perfect impression of Elvis Presley. After the audience gave him thunderous applause, he replied, in his "Foreign Man" voice, "Thenk yew veddy much!" The audience went into hysterics. |
| 16 | He was such a hardcore Elvis Presley fan that he drove into a town that had an Elvis movie playing, with a TV set, so that he could plug in the set somewhere to see the movie on television!. |
| 17 | Was working on a novel loosely based on his life that weaves in and out of reality titled The Huey Williams Story but had to stop because of his illness. |
| 18 | The video "The Great Beyond", which originally featured clips of Jim Carrey performing as Kaufman in the movie Man on the Moon (1999), was modified on the DVD "Best of R.E.M., The" (2003) by clips of the original Andy Kaufman. |
| 19 | On the DVD "Best of R.E.M., The" (2003), Kaufman appears on the videos "The Great Beyond" (originally released in 1999), and "Man On The Moon" (originally released in 1992). |
| 20 | Before Andy Kaufman, there was no real way to describe what he did. Now it has been coined as "performance art" and many people imitate his style of "entertainment." |
| 21 | He was the original creator of the format TV show Andy's Funhouse (1979) which has later re-vamped by Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) into Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986). Reubens got permission from Kaufman himself right before his death. |
| 22 | His Tony Clifton character was supposed to appear on the Christmas episode of Taxi (1978) as Louie De Palma's brother, but "Tony" repeatedly pushed everyone's buttons and slowed down production until he was replaced (much to Andy's delight). |
| 23 | His style of entertainment is now known as "performance art." |
| 24 | Was once a contestant on The Dating Game (1965). |
| 25 | According to wrestler Jerry Lawler, when they cleaned out Andy's house after his death, many uncashed checks from Mid-South Wrestling promoter Jerry Jarrett were found. These were given as payment for his stint as a wrestler, and made many conclude that he didn't wrestle for the money, but rather for the love of it. |
| 26 | Was the subject of the song "Andy Kaufman" by punk band The Bunkers. [1995] |
| 27 | Diagnosed with a rare, large-cell, carcinoma lung cancer on December 11, 1983. |
| 28 | Had one granddaughter, Brittany Colonna, who played his younger sister as a child in Man on the Moon (1999). |
| 29 | Despite having his neck broken by Jerry Lawler's Piledriver, he still won the match they had (the Piledriver was illegal where they were wrestling, so Lawler had gotten disqualified, giving Kaufman the win). |
| 30 | Was piledriven twice by Jerry Lawler |
| 31 | Shared the same birthday with Jim Carrey, who plays him in the film Man on the Moon (1999). |
| 32 | Lip-synched the "Mighty Mouse" theme on the first episode of Saturday Night Live (1975). |
| 33 | Kaufman and Jerry Lawler's famous feud, including their infamous Late Night with David Letterman (1982) appearance, was all later confirmed by Lawler to be a setup and not real as many believed. |
| 34 | Many people doubted Kaufman's death, thinking it was just another gag. |
| 35 | When trying to bring his wrestling women act into the world of mainstream pro wrestling, Kaufman wanted to wrestle at Madison Square Garden for the World Wrestling Federation, but his good friend Bill Apter, a head editor for several wrestling magazines, told him that Vincent McMahon would never go for such a thing, so they tried to talk to Apter's friend Jerry Lawler, which led to Andy's infamous feud with Lawler from 1982-1983. |
| 36 | Along with his writing partner Bob Zmuda, he wrote "The Tony Clifton Story", a full-length feature film about the adventures of his alter-ego Tony Clifton. However after his movie Heartbeeps (1981) tanked at the box office, it was scrapped by the studios. |
| 37 | Although he died of lung cancer, he led a very healthy lifestyle. He didn't drink regularly and was a vegetarian. Although he had smoked when he was younger, he hadn't done so in years; even when doing his Tony Clifton character, he never inhaled the smoke. |
| 38 | Museum of TV and Radio presented 90-minute film of Kaufman highlights to honor him posthumously in New York and L.A. in October 1999. |
| 39 | Kaufman was renowned for bizarre stunts that were part of his stage performances, such as the time he took his entire Carnegie Hall audience out for milk and cookies, via 35 waiting buses. |
| 40 | Interred at Beth David Cemetery, Elmont (Long Island), New York, USA. |
| 41 | According to Jim Carrey as stated in A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman (1995), Kaufman created and originally played the "Tony Clifton" character. The secret kept for 15 years (according to Carrey) was that he did so only briefly and the character was soon passed off to Bob Zmuda (Kaufman's writer). Most of the TV appearances of Tony Clifton are actually Zmuda, not Kaufman. |
| 42 | R.E.M. wrote a song about him for their 1992 album "Automatic for the People" called "Man on the Moon". |
| 43 | Of all Elvis Presley impersonators, he was the REAL Elvis' favorite. |
| 44 | Maria was put up for adoption, but later reunited with Kaufman's family, after tracing her biological parents in 1992. |
| 45 | Daughter, Maria Colonna, was born when Andy was 20, and his girlfriend was 17. |
| 46 | Saturday Night Live (1975) viewers voted him off the show forever in a call-in poll in 1982. |
| 47 | Attended Boston's Grahm Junior College. |
| 48 | Graduated from Great Neck North High School in 1967. |
| 49 | Taxi (1978) co-star Jeff Conaway decked him after the 1979 Golden Globes, when he insulted his co-stars. |
Trademarks
| # | Trademark |
|---|---|
| 1 | His character Tony Clifton |
| 2 | Usually played an unnamed character called Foreign Man, who soon evolved into Latka Gravis, the guy from Taxi. Likes to play with the audience's heads like reading The Great Gatsby instead of performing. Doesn't like to break character, even when he's not filming. |
Quotes
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | I just want real reactions. I want people to laugh from the gut, be sad from the gut, or get angry from the gut. |
| 2 | I never told a joke in my life. |
| 3 | What's real? What's not? That's what I do in my act, test how other people deal with reality. |
| 4 | While all the other kids were out playing ball and stuff, I used to stay in my room and imagine that there was a camera in the wall. And I used to really believe that I was putting on a television show and that it was going out to somewhere in the world. |
| 5 | They say, "Oh wow, Andy Kaufman, he's a really funny guy." But I'm not trying to be funny. I just want to play with their heads. |
| 6 | Whenever I play a role, whether it's good or bad, an evil person or nice person, I believe in being a purist and going all the way with the role. If I'm going to be a villainous wrestler, I believe in going all the way with it and not breaking character and not giving away to the audience that I'm playing a role. I believe in playing it straight to the hilt. |
| 7 | Pure entertainment is not an egotistical lady singing boring songs onstage for two hours and people in tuxes clapping whether they like it or not. It's the real performers on the street who can hold people's attention and keep them from walking away. |
| 8 | There's no drama like wrestling. |
| 9 | There's no way to describe what I do. It's just me. |
Pictures
Nominated Awards
Nominated awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie | Award shared with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | TV Land Award | TV Land Awards | Favorite Elvis Impersonation | Saturday Night Live (1975) | |
| 2006 | TV Land Award | TV Land Awards | Most Wonderful Wedding | Taxi (1978) | Carol Kane |
| 1981 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Taxi (1978) | |
| 1981 | Stinker Award | The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Worst Actor | Heartbeeps (1981) | |
| 1981 | Stinker Award | The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Worst On-Screen Couple | Heartbeeps (1981) | Bernadette Peters |
| 1981 | Stinker Award | The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Most Annoying Fake Accent: Male | Heartbeeps (1981) | |
| 1979 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Television Series | Taxi (1978) |
Filmography
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fried: The Autobiography of Louie B. Mayer | 2013 | completed | Tony Clifton |
| My Breakfast with Blassie | 1983 | Andy Kaufman | |
| Taxi | 1978-1983 | TV Series | Latka Gravas / Vic Ferrari / Arlo / ... |
| Super Bowl XVII Pre-Game Show | 1983 | TV Movie | Latka Gravas (uncredited) |
| The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show | 1982 | TV Movie | Tony Clifton (as Tony Clifton) |
| Saturday Night Live | 1975-1982 | TV Series | Foreign Man Elvis British Man |
| Heartbeeps | 1981 | Val | |
| In God We Tru$t | 1980 | Armageddon T. Thunderbird | |
| Stick Around | 1977 | TV Short | Andy, the Robot |
| God Told Me To | 1976 | Police Assassin |
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man on the Moon | 1999 | performer: "One More Song for You" 1979, "Rose Marie" 1924 / writer: "Oh, the Cow Goes Moo" | |
| The Andy Kaufman Show | 1983 | TV Special performer: "One More Song for You", "Hi to You & Hi to Me", "Blue Moon of Kentucky" | |
| Late Night with David Letterman | 1982 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Dinah! | 1979 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
| Saturday Night Live | TV Series 1 episode, 1975 performer - 4 episodes, 1975 - 1977 |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm from Hollywood | 1989 | Documentary uncredited | |
| The Andy Kaufman Show | 1983 | TV Special uncredited | |
| Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall | 1980 | Video documentary | |
| Andy's Funhouse | 1979 | TV Movie |
Composer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy's Funhouse | 1979 | TV Movie |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy's Funhouse | 1979 | TV Movie producer |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloody Bobby | 2016 | thanks | |
| No More Funny Show! | 2013 | Video documentary inspiration | |
| Funny Show Part Two: The Video - Movie | 2012 | Video inspiration | |
| The Most Annoying Greek Youtube Star of the Year | 2012 | Video short inspiration |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaufman Lives | Documentary filming | Himself | |
| I'm from Hollywood | 1989 | Documentary | Himself |
| Elayne Boosler: Party of One | 1985 | TV Movie | Himself (voice) |
| Superstars of Comedy Salute the Improv | 1984 | TV Movie | Himself |
| The Top | 1984 | TV Movie | Himself (Host) |
| The Rodney Dangerfield Special: I Can't Take It No More | 1983 | TV Movie | Himself / Various / Dr. Vinnie Boombatz |
| CWA Wrestling | 1983 | TV Series | Himself |
| Late Night with David Letterman | 1982-1983 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Andy Kaufman Show | 1983 | TV Special | Himself - Host / Various |
| Saturday Night Live | 1975-1983 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Stand-up Act / Himself - Special Guest / ... |
| An Evening at the Improv | 1982 | TV Series | Himself - Comic / Himself |
| Catch a Rising Star's 10th Anniversary | 1982 | TV Special | Himself - Comedian |
| Hour Magazine | 1982 | TV Series | Himself |
| The John Davidson Show | 1982 | TV Series | Himself |
| Good Morning America | 1979-1982 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Merv Griffin Show | 1979-1981 | TV Series | Tony Clifton / Himself |
| Fridays | 1981 | TV Series | Himself - Host / Himself - Recorded Apology / Himself - Guest Host |
| The Midnight Special | 1972-1981 | TV Series | Tony Clifton / Himself / Himself - Host |
| The David Letterman Show | 1980 | TV Series | Himself |
| Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall | 1980 | Video documentary | Himself / Tony Clifton |
| Johnny Cash Christmas | 1979 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | 1979 | TV Special | Himself |
| Dinah! | 1977-1979 | TV Series | Tony Clifton Foreign Man |
| Andy's Funhouse | 1979 | TV Movie | Himself Latka Gravas Tony Clifton (as Tony Clifton) |
| Tomorrow Coast to Coast | 1979 | TV Series | Himself |
| V.I.P. Night on Broadway Benefit | 1979 | TV Movie | Himself - Performer |
| Cher... and Other Fantasies | 1979 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Live Wednesday | 1978 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Dating Game | 1978 | TV Series | Himself - Participant |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1977-1978 | TV Series | Himself - Comedian / Himself |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1976-1978 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Johnny Cash Christmas Special | 1977 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Redd Foxx | 1977 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Hollywood Squares | 1977 | TV Series | Guest Appearance |
| The 2nd Annual HBO Young Comedians Show | 1977 | TV Special | Himself / Tony Clifton |
| Van Dyke and Company | 1976 | TV Series | Himself / HimselfElvis Impersonator / Regular / ... |
| The Lisa Hartman Show | 1976 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Monty Hall's Variety Hour | 1976 | TV Movie | Himself |
| The Joe Franklin Show | 1974 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Dean Martin Comedy World | 1974 | TV Series | Himself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaufmania! | 2016 | Documentary filming | Himself |
| 3rd Indie Fest of YouTube Videos 2015 | 2015 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Entertainment Tonight | 2015 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Voice Over Show No.2: Borat's Songs | 2015 | Video | Himself |
| It's Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story | 2015 | Video | Himself |
| Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special | 2015 | TV Special | Himself - Guest Performer (In Memoriam) |
| 2nd Independent Video Film Festival of Youtube 2014 | 2014 | TV Movie | Himself |
| WWE Hall of Fame | 2014 | TV Special | Himself |
| The Improv: 50 Years Behind the Brick Wall | 2013 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| 1st Independent Video Film Festival of Youtube 2013 | 2013 | TV Movie | Winner of Golden Prize Alien for contribution to Comedy |
| Video Compilation: Top Ten Best Videos 2007-2012 | 2013 | Documentary | Himself |
| WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time | 2010 | Video | Himself |
| WWE Raw | 2010 | TV Series | Himself |
| A Day in the Life of a Professional Wrestler | 2010 | Documentary | Andy Kaufman |
| The Tragic Side of Comedy | 2009 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America | 2009 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The Death of Andy Kaufman | 2008 | Video documentary | Himself |
| 100 Greatest Stand-Ups | 2007 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| WWE Legends of Wrestling | 2007 | TV Series | Himself |
| 101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments | 2004 | TV Movie | Himself |
| 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time | 2004 | TV Mini-Series | Himself #33 |
| When Stand-Up Comics Ruled the World | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| The Best of R.E.M.: In View 1988-2003 | 2003 | Video documentary | Himself (segments "Man on the Moon" and "The Great Beyond") |
| Biography | 1999-2000 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Saturday Night Live 25 | 1999 | TV Special documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
| SNL: 25 Years of Music | 1999 | TV Movie | Himself |
| E! True Hollywood Story | 1998 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Classic Stand-Up Comedy of Television | 1996 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
| R.E.M. Parallel | 1995 | Video | Himself (segment "Man on the Moon") |
| A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman | 1995 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Best of Taxi | 1994 | TV Movie | Latka Gravas |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1992 | TV Series | Himself |
| Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary | 1989 | TV Special | Himself |
| Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents Lords of the Ring: Superstars & Superbouts | 1985 | Video | Himself |